From: otaku (animeotaku@mindspring.com) Subject: [Repost, fixed] [PW!] Home is Where the Heart is Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/05/15 ?And may I present our valedictorian for the graduating class of this year, John Maxwell!? The principal?s voice boomed from the microphone. John stepped up from his chair, grinning at the applause he received. As John began his speech, he couldn?t help but notice his parents weren?t in the stands. He knew they were busy, his father at Silph Co., and his mother teaching the preschoolers. Shaking the unhappy thoughts from his mind, John continued the speech, rousing a standing ovation from the crowd. After the ceremony, most of the graduates had left with their parents to go out for dinner, but a few remained. John stood on the grass, talking to a couple of them. Zuel, his faithful Growlithe, lay curled up under a tree, and Igor was doing impersonations. ?I?m gonna be the very best! Me and Pikachu can beat any opponent!? Everyone gasped as a familiar boy and his Pikachu appeared on the grasslands. John smirked, shaking his head. Almost everyone at Pokemon Tech knew about Igor, so they laughed, clapping for him. Igor changed forms, reverting to his original self. The ?Pikachu? next to him changed back into a rock. Flying off, he headed for a small group of younger children to entertain. John?s teacher, Mr. Roberto, came up to him, chuckling as Igor went past him. ?So, John, what are your plans for the future?? ?I?m going to go out for the Pokemon League, and become a Pokemon Master.? He made the victory sign, and struck a classic Ash Katchum pose.? ?Ha ha ha?it does my heart well to see you dedicated to such a thing. Remember all that you have learned here, and success will always be with you. Goodbye and good luck John.? He shook hands, and went off to talk to a few more students. Waving goodbye to his friends, John recalled Igor and Zuel, and started walking towards Vermilion, and then home to Lavender Town. As he walked down the dirt path, John bumped shoulders with a pair huddled together, whispering. He murmured an apology, not noticing the bright red R that was on their shirts. ?Hold it right there punk!? John whirled around to see the two people he bumped into a second ago, high atop a tree. Both were no older then him, the girl with short auburn hair and deeply tanned skin, and the boy with long green hair, and pale skin. John recognized them immediately. ?Jack?Jill! What are you two doing in those Team Rocket uniforms?? ?We are now part of Team Rocket, so show some respect, boy.? Jill snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. ?Figures. You flunked out of school, so you decided to join a hack group like Team Rocket. Well, I have no time for your foolishness.? He turned and started walking again. ?Graveler!? ?Kadabra!? The two Pokemon growled at John, forcing him back. He clenched his fists tightly, reaching for his own Pokeballs. The Kadabra and Graveler made no attempt to stop him, waiting for him to make the first move. ?Ok, Zuel, Igor, go!? The four Pokemon squared off, Zuel and Graveler, Igor and Kadabra. ?It?s clobberin? time!? Igor shouted, launching a barrage of Psywaves at his opponent. The Kadabra groaned, blasting Igor with its own Psybeam attack, both attacks deadlocked. Meanwhile, Zuel was breaking every rock Graveler threw at it, giving himself a major headache doing so. Just as the inversely colored Growlithe felt ready to faint, Graveler ran out of rocks to throw! John?s eyes flashed. He could win this battle! ?Now Zuel! Give it your Take down attack!? Zuel ran forward, tumbling in mid air. He curled into a ball, knocking into the Graveler with all his might. The rock Pokemon wobbled a bit, then fell over, rolling down a slope until it crashed into the tree atop which Jack and Jill sat. They screamed, falling flat on their faces. Just then, Kadabra came flying at them, crashing headfirst. Igor floated above the fallen Kadaba, smug look on his face. Zuel stood triumphantly, a large bruise on his head from the Take Down attack. ?That?ll learn ya?s? Igor spoke, doing a fairly good impersonation of a 20?s gangster. John smiled in triumph, returning both Pokemon back to their respective Pokeballs. ?We?ll get you next time?? Jack?s voice trailed off, his eyes spinning. John just shrugged and continued walking home. After a few hours of walking, he had finally made it to the outskirts of Lavender Town. Pokemon Tower could be seen in the distance, and the high rises of Rock Tunnel. John began sprinting down the long pier, and then running. Releasing both Pokemon from their Pokeballs, the three ran down the pier, greeting familiar faces. ?Welcome home John, folks are waiting for you!? The elderly old man Mr. Perkins spoke, his line snagging a Goldeen. ?Johnny boy! Great to see you!? Young Mrs. Frisby waved to him, putting cookies in the display window. John smiled and waved as he passed them both, Igor and Zuel running ahead of him. ?Son!? ?Honey!? His parents were waiting for him at the door of the modest two-story house. Polly, their pet Farfetch?d, was on top of the roof, singing in its usual cracked voice. John embraced his mother in a hug, and shook hands with his father. ?It?s good to be home.? ?It?s good to have you home, son. Come on inside, I have dinner cooking on the stove.? Igor floated next to Polly, grinning. ?Polly want a cracker?? Polly picked up a pot from the ground, tossing it at the apparition. It fell right though him, bouncing harmlessly on the ground. At dinner, John was telling his parents everything that had happened, leaving out the part about his run in with the two members of Team Rocket. ?So what are you plans now son?? His father asked, feeding some scraps to Zuel. ?Well?I know that I could enter the Pokemon League anytime I want. But I?d rather go from gym to gym, and collect all the badges.? John?s father just shook his head. ?You always were headstrong. All right, if you want to go, I suppose we can?t stop you. You can leave first thing tomorrow. John nodded, heading upstairs. Igor floated in-between the walls for a nap, happy with the dark space. Zuel just padded around the fireplace, wagging his tail slowly. As John settled into his bed, he smiled at the prospect of things to come. Tomorrow would be the only beginning. -AnimeOtaku, TR Ninja on AIM